Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Problems

Welcome to another contribution to the wildly popular blog meme, Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. This week they ask us:

February 17: Ten Book Related Problems I Have (could be serious or fun!)

I would call most book bloggers’serious’ readers, not necessarily more than non-bloggers nor in subject matter, but we tend to take our hobby seriously. We love books, talking books, seeking out new books, bookstores, libraries, etc. For book bloggers, reading and reviewing almost becomes an unpaid second job, or first job depending on how you divvy up your time. With the amount of work and passion that goes into this hobby there is bound to be some problems that can overtake your life if you let them. Listed below are some of my bookish problems (some serious, some not), I’m sure many of you will be able to relate…

Ten bookish problems that plague my life.

New Releases: This is mainly a problem with my favorite authors. When I see a new book in some series I adore I want to read it now, not six months from now. I will push back books that have been patiently waiting their turn to wow me with their plots for a coveted new release. Which leads us to our next problem…

Owning Books: Because I don’t like to wait to read my favs and it can be difficult to obtain them from a library or I am turned down for an ARC edition I will often end up buying the book. While this is great for the authors, not so pocketbook friendly most of the time. If I would just wait a few months I can get most titles through the library or wait just a tad longer and buy the hardcover in the clearance bin or used. I need to get over having to own the book.

Cheap Books: I also need to stop bringing home so many cheap books, like the weeded quarter titles you can find at library sales. This is especially a problem when it is part of an unknown series and there are like 5-10 titles I need to read before I get to the cheap read I brought home. I need to learn it is okay to walk away.

Accosting People: In bookstores, libraries, Target… When I see someone looking like they need help, or they are picking up a title that I loved, or for any other reason. Some people do not appreciate talking books for 20 minutes with the strange bibliophile.

Feeling ashamed or defensive: A lot of what I read is considered trash by people. Not me, but I have read the blog and Facebook posts that are critical of the genres, and select titles, I love. Quite often they hurt my feelings and I take their words as a personal attack on my character. How could I read and love such garbage, I shouldn’t be wasting my time, they tell me. I need to get over it and develop a thicker skin. It is just their opinion, most of the time they are book snobs anyway, either way what does it matter. Authors are writing the books for people to enjoy, so I need to just enjoy them.

Weeding Books: All those books that I had to have by authors I adore are now taking up three bookcases. Three. And those are just the ones I’ve read, I have one whole other bookcase of unread titles from #3. I need to re-evaluate from time to time if a series is really worth hanging onto. Author love is a little like those crushes you get in your youth, over the years you will fall in and out of love with many of them. It is alright to let some go that don’t necessarily hold the same appeal to you anymore.

ARCS: I need to just step away from the Net Galley site from time to time. I have four titles right now, three of which need to be read and reviewed by the end of the month. Sure it is great to get a title by authors I love and find new ones to try, but there are only so many hours in a day people.

Keeping an Open Mind: I’m just as bad sometimes as the people I mentioned in #5. I will look at a title and know I’m going to hate it before even opening up the cover. This is especially true when it comes to books I have to read for work or recommendations from patrons. Now granted I am usually right when it comes to knowing what sort of books interest me, but I need to be willing to try something outside of my comfort zone from time to time without all the fuss.

Relax: I need to do this when it comes to challenges. I get so wrapped up in falling behind in my reading goals that it takes all the fun out of reading and makes it a chore. I did make a more modest goal this year in an attempt to take the pressure off, but that freaking little widget on the side of Goodread’s page still tells me I am three books behind…

Participating More: I love this hobby and the community of book bloggers I have joined. I do a fairly decent job of staying on top of my posts, but I don’t participate as much as I should. I need to read other people’s posts and reviews more and comment on them. Bad blogger.

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16 thoughts on “Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Problems”

On #10 – I have the other side of your problem! I feel like I’m spending most of the time in this book blogging community reading everyone’s posts that I don’t get to post as much about the books I’m reading!!!! And I just get from book to book and I don’t get to share the book and my thoughts about it. Well, except through comments. I just love reading others’ posts a lot. I feel like I’m learning a lot more about books!

#4!! 😂 I’d love to meet person like you in book store! XD I usually only do that with my friends. #5 is kind of…lots of people are book snobs and I hate people who make you feel ashamed of books because everyone has their own taste and books are errr equal. #8 is okay I think, because I think everyone has right not to like some book, just to say it in a way that doesn’t offend others. #10 I have that problem too XD it’s just that everyone has life outside blogging and there’s so many good blogs….we just need more hours in a day XD haha
My TTT http://readandsurvive.com/2015/02/17/top-ten-tuesday-ten-book-related-problems-i-have/

You have no idea how much I relate to nearly all of these things, especially finding the time to getting over to other people’s blogs and chilling out when I don’t meet my goals. Maybe we can help each other get better at this! :)

I definitely get what you mean about falling behind. Sometimes I get so stressed out by my TBR and all the challenges that I signed up for. Oh NetGalley! I somehow still have ten titles to review for them and I’m just not a massive ebook person.

I also talk to people in the bookshops – I tend to think they’re looking at books so they must be interested (although it could also be a gift). I have also on occasion been asked for my opinion whilst looking for books which is always a nice surprise.
I think we’re all a bit guilty of judging other genres – I certainly am and I know that I won’t pick up certain books just from looking at the cover! I don’t mind be proved wrong though.
Lynn :D

I’m the same way with auto-buys. While I do hope that I time my reading accordingly to finish by the time one of these auto-buys gets released, sometimes I’ll just drop everything in favour for it; especially if it’s a sequel of sorts.

While I’d like to think that blogging made me have thicker skin in terms of talking through differences of opinions, I think I’ve always been used to being apathetic yet rational. In the end, just knowing that another’s viewpoint is just that is good enough, I’d say. No need to feel downed by it–plus, for all that is bad in this community, there’s plenty of other good, I’m sure of it.

Thanks, you are right the good does out-way the bad. Just had an emotional week I guess, super sensitive some times. I just don’t understand how some can be so mean though. Even when I don’t like a book, or whatever, I try not to rip it shreds and crush the feelings of someone who did like it.